1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of washing a blind, which is widely used by attaching it to the window of an ordinary house, an office, a factory, and the like for preventing the entrance of exterior light.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of dust or similar dirty materials, of which kind varies depending on the particular environment, are likely to be adhesively deposited on louvers constituting a blind, and it is not easy to remove the dust from the louvers. With a small number of blinds, it is not impossible to wash each louver with an operator's hands using a mop. At any rate, it is not easy to wash the louvers of the blind.
In view of the foregoing fact, there has been proposed the following blind washing method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-5512.
Specifically, the prior art method of washing a blind with plate-like light shading louvers arranged in parallel to each other with adjustable distance held between adjacent louvers, includes inserting
while the adjacent louvers are sufficiently parted away from each other, a rod-like insert projecting from the surface of a flexible belt base material between the adjacent louvers. PA1 the folded blind is washed in a washing liquid. PA1 enlarging a distance between adjacent louvers of a blind to be washed, each of the louvers being held in a horizontal orientation; PA1 pressing a coil spring spacer against the blind so as to insert offset ring-like portions (that is, an amount of one pitch) of the coil spring spacer between the adjacent louvers, wherein the coil spring spacer is disposed at a right angle relative to the louvers and is formed of a wire having a diameter; PA1 reducing the distance between adjacent louvers of the blind so as to hold the offset ring-like portions in a clamped state such that a gap, corresponding to the wire diameter, is formed between the adjacent louvers; PA1 washing the blind while maintaining the gap between the adjacent louvers; PA1 removing the coil spring spacer from the blind; and drying the blind. PA1 enlarging a distance between adjacent louvers of a blind to be washed, each of the louvers being held in a horizontal orientation; PA1 squeezing a coil-like-spring spacer against the blind so as to insert offset ring-like portions of the coil-like-spring spacer between the adjacent louvers, wherein the coil-like-spring spacer is disposed at right angles relative to the louvers and is formed of a wire having a diameter; PA1 reducing the distance between adjacent louvers of the blind so as to hold the offset ring-like portions in a clamped state such that a gap, corresponding to the wire diameter, is formed between the adjacent louvers; PA1 washing the blind by putting the blind provided with the louvers having the reduced distance into a washing bath filled with a mixed material of fine particles and a liquid, causing liquefaction to the fine particles by applying a varying external force to the fine particles so that dirty materials on the surfaces of the louvers of the blind are removed by the brushing action of the fine particles caused by the liquefaction; and PA1 disconnecting the coil-spring-like spacer member from the washed blind.
Thereafter, the blind is folded and the distance between the adjacent louvers is reduced while the rod-like insert is inserted into the folded blind, and then
An advantage of the prior art method is that since the distance between the adjacent louvers is reduced to a necessary minimum extent, the height as measured in the vertical direction is reduced and then the blind is washed, a washing operation can be achieved with a comparatively small washing apparatus.
However, since a means usable for reducing the distance between the vertically adjacent louvers to a necessary minimum extent is a rod-like insert projecting from the surface of a flexible belt-like base material, the forgoing means has the following problems.
According to the known method, while the blind is expanded in the vertical direction, the belt-like base material comes in contact with the blind, and the rod-like insert is inserted into the adjacent louvers. However, for the reason that the distance between the adjacent louvers of one blind can not be always adjusted to be constant at all times, there arises a problem in that all the rod-like inserts are not always inserted between the vertically adjacent louvers when the belt-like base material only comes in contact with the blind. Another problem is that in many cases, when an operator checks the entire blind after the completion of the aforementioned operation, he often finds that many rod-like inserts are incorrectly inserted between the adjacent louvers, and there arises the necessity to manually insert the rod-like inserts between the incorrectly inserted adjacent louvers. Thus, a further problem is that when the conventional method is employed, each inserting operation is insufficiently performed and rod-like inserts are inconveniently used.
The inventor has solved the above problem and proposed a blind washing method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-28627, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,328) that is capable of easily obtaining the necessary minimum distance between the adjacent louvers of a blind and accordingly easily and reliably removes dirty materials with a small washing means.
Specifically, the method comprises the steps of:
This prior art method completely solves the problem associated with the prior art method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-5512, in that the step for reducing the distance between the respective louvers of the blind to a necessary minimum extent can be very simply and reliably executed. Accordingly, since a washing job can be performed with a small washing means, it can be said that the method of JP 9-28627 is very excellent in the achievement of the intended object.
However, the method of JP9-28627 employs such washing technologies as to move a washing liquid in which a blind is dipped, transmit a supersonic vibration to the washing liquid, wash the blind with a brush while injecting the washing liquid to the blind, and the like as an influential washing technology in the washing step. Thus, JP9-28627 does not particularly exceed an ordinary technical level in the washing step itself. That is, although the prior art method can generally remove ordinary dirty materials, there are some cases that they cannot perfectly remove insistently adhesively deposited dirty materials, and thus it is required to manually remove remaining dirty materials with a brush or the like. Further, the washing step still has a certain degree of room for improvement in the simplicity of a washing job.